Love Speaks Louder
by JennyGranger
Summary: "The Granger household has been attacked. Mr. and Mrs. Granger are dead. Hermione has been taken to St. Mungo's. I await your arrival there."
1. Chapter 1

Rated for rape. Written because I've been feeling rather depressed lately and writing stuff like this makes me feel better. Go figure.

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It was chaos. Screams echoed all around her. Curses and spells shot in every direction. People were shouting and barking orders at each other. She was doing the best she could but there were simply too many of them. She could only watch as everything she loved collapsed all around her.

Then everything went still.

The dust settled and no one moved for the longest time. She couldn't see all of them but she knew they were there. And it was only a matter time before they finished her off as well.

The last thing she remembers seeing is a bright flash of white light.

She blinked, and blinked again. She could see nothing but darkness and she could hear nothing. But, somehow, miraculously, she was still alive. She could feel the hard floor covered with rubble beneath her, and she definitely noticed when someone forcibly removed her wand from her hand. However, she did not hear the sharp sound of wood snapping as was broken in two.

Suddenly, many hands grabbed at her. She fought hard, but she was still greatly outnumbered. At least three pairs held her still while even more explored her body in the nastiest way imaginable. They tore off her clothing one-by-one until she lay naked before them.

Her screams fell deaf on her own ears as the pain of being torn open ripped through her body.

...

Review please. The more reviews I get, the faster the next chapter will go up!


	2. Chapter 2

I own nothing.

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The next day was warm and sunny. The late August sky shined down on a quaint little cottage just outside London. Nothing unusual could be said about it from the outside, except for maybe that it would seem a bit too neat for housing three men.

For this was the home of Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Harry Potter, the latter two currently in a heated battle known as chess while the former was relaxing in a chair trying to read one of his favorite books over all the ruckus.

However, when they both went very quiet, Remus knew something was wrong. Looking up, he saw a bright ball of silver light gliding through the solid window as though nothing were there. Once in the center of the sitting room, it morphed into a tabby cat and spoke in Professor Minerva McGonagall's voice.

"The Granger household has been attacked. Mr. and Mrs. Granger are dead. Hermione has been taken to St. Mungo's. I await your arrival there." With that, the cat dissolved into thin air.

Both Sirius and Remus glanced over at Harry, who merely stared in shock at where the Patronus had been. It was Sirius who approached him first.

"Come on, then," he said, placing a hand under his godson's arm and pulling him into a standing position, "Let's go."

The movement seemed to spur Harry into action. It had only been four months since the downfall of Voldemort, but the attacks on Muggles and Muggle-borns continued. It was mostly groups of Death Eaters stupid enough to go on without their Dark Lord, perhaps hoping to claim the top spot for themselves.

"You go first, Harry," Remus said, holding out their jar of Floo Powder. Harry nodded wordlessly and stepped into the grate, taking a handful of the emerald-tinted soot with him.

"St. Mungo's!" he yelled and was engulfed in green flames.

This trip seemed to take ages longer than what he was used to. Perhaps it was because the thoughts in his brain seemed to be spinning faster than the fireplaces all around him. _Was Hermione all right? Of course she wasn't; She's in St. Mungo's. But what had happened? Who had gotten to her? And what had they done to her?_

Finally, he fell forward, managing to catch himself before face-planting into the lobby of the Wizarding hospital. Looking around, he immediately saw the black bun and pointed hat of the Headmistress of Hogwarts. She had been waiting for him, just like she said. He approached her, not even noticing Sirius and Remus appearing behind him.

"Where's Hermione?" he blurted out, "What's happened?"

"Oh, Harry…" McGonagall began, as though unsure where to start the story. She stood and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Last night, a group of rogue Death Eaters attacked the Granger household. The house was destroyed and her parents were killed. Hermione was found among the rubble. She had been beaten, cursed, and…" it was the first time she faltered in the telling of what happened, "… and raped. She can't see or hear anything. She's terrified and doesn't know where she is or who's she's with."

Harry's entire body felt numb. Deep down, he hoped this was all just some sick joke; that Hermione was going to pop out from under one of the chairs and say everything was fine. But the way McGonagall's voice had a hitch in it, and the way her eyes reflected the worry he was feeling himself…. There's no way this couldn't be true.

"Can I see her?" he asked, almost timidly. It was almost a surprise when McGonagall nodded and motioned for him to follow her.

"We'll just wait here, then." Remus said, causing Harry to jump; he still hadn't realized they were even there. But McGonagall merely nodded again and turned to walk into the lift as the two men sat down in the waiting room.

Harry followed his professor as they entered the lift and rode it all the way down to the fourth floor: Spell Damage. They went down a hallway, and turned right into another hallway, finally stopping outside room 412. Taking a deep breath, Harry eased the door open, very unsure of what he was about to see.

...

The more reviews I get, the faster the next chapter will be up!


	3. Chapter 3

Here's a longer chapter. Hopefully, it'll hold you for a while since I don't quite know when I'll get the next one posted with Midterms coming up! Remember, I own nothing.

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Hermione was sitting on her bed, knees hugged tight to her chest. It was obvious she had let no one near enough to her to perform even the simplest of healing spells. Bruises covered nearly every inch of skin Harry could see and he was pretty sure there was still dried blood matting her hair.

"Hermione…" he whispered, even though he knew she couldn't hear him. He had no idea of what to do. She just looked so scared. Without knowing what he was doing, he had moved closer to her; close enough to reach out and touch her.

She tensed, knowing someone was near her. As odd as it sounds, she could smell them. And the smell was very familiar. As she raised her head off her knees, she felt her mattress shift as this person sat down next to her.

Harry watched her pale, un-seeing eyes attempt to follow his movements. She knew he was there, but she didn't know it was him. He wanted to show her she didn't have to be afraid. Bravely, he reached up and, with the lightest of touches, tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

As expected, she immediately shied away from the touch. However, she opened her mouth and seemed to struggle for a minute with forming the right sounds.

"Har… Ha… Har… ry…. Harry?"

He smiled sadly and ran his knuckle along her cheek as gently as he could, hoping to confirm that it was indeed him. He was rewarded when she clumsily unwrapped one of her arms from around her knees and reached out toward him. He caught her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers.

"Amazing," a voice cut into their moment, making Harry start. An older woman in Healer's scrubs had entered the room, "I'm Healer Paean. You must be Harry. Minerva - Professor McGonagall - told me you would be coming. Do you think you could keep her calm while I try to clean her up a bit?"

Hermione had tensed and shied away when Harry had jumped, letting go of his hand and bringing her arm back to herself.

"I can't promise anything," Harry said, slightly annoyed. He was running his knuckle on her shoulder, trying to get back what she had given him before.

"Okay," Paean said, taking out her wand and approaching gently, "I want to clean her hair out first, to get the blood out of it, okay?"

Harry nodded and moved his hand up to her hair to see if he could help get her desensitized and help smooth things along. Paean came to the edge of the bed and reached out, with a gloved hand and her wand, towards Hermione. However, as soon as she made contact, Hermione let out a large whimper and brought her arms up to cover her head.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey," Harry tried, forgetting for a moment she couldn't hear him. He had kept his hand on her shoulder throughout the event, trying to tell her he was there and wasn't going to leave. He waited patiently for her to calm down and, though she kept her face buried in her arms, her breathing eventually slowed and the whimpers unknowingly escaping from her throat ceased.

"I really don't want to have to knock her out just to perform a few simple spells," Paean said helplessly, "but if she's going to continue to be like this, I may have no choice."

"You say that like this is her fault," Harry spat before he could stop himself. He knew perfectly well what the Healer had meant, but he still didn't like the way she was trying to rush when her patient was obviously traumatized. Paean seemed to realize this.

"I apologize if I seemed insensitive," she said, "I was only interested in trying to make Miss Granger feel more comfortable. Perhaps I can go speak with Professor McGonagall for a while and we can try again later."

"Okay," Harry responded, wondering if he should apologize as well. However, Paean had turned and left the room before he could say anything.

So he resumed his gentle ministrations, wishing he had a better way to communicate with her. He wanted to hold her and promise her she was safe now. He wanted to take her pain away and put it on himself. He wanted to see her smile again.

Very slowly, the minutes ticked by, and Harry's patience was rewarded. Hermione finally raised her head to reveal tearstains falling from her unseeing eyes. Eventually, she unwrapped her arm again and reached toward him once more. He caught her hand and squeezed it. Then, very slowly and carefully, he shifted a bit closer to her.

His heart skipped a beat when she responded by leaning very heavily against him.

He felt her take a deep breath and fully relax into him. He did nothing but allow her to be comfortable and move along at her own pace. However, an idea came to mind, and very slowly and gently, he raised his wand to her hair and muttered a simple cleaning spell.

Hermione jerked her head away as the weight of the dried suddenly disappeared but she merely looked toward Harry and, after a minute of consideration, nodded. Harry spent the next few minutes gently picking through the dark golden locks, casting the cleaning spell to get all the gunk out of them. By the time he was done, it wasn't the best job, but it was far better than it had been before. When he finished, he told Hermione by placing a soft kiss on her crown.

"Harry…." She sighed, burying herself deeper into him. He caught something new in her voice that caused him to look down at her, but the answer was clear in her face and in her eyes: she was exhausted.

As gently has he could, being careful of any injuries, he wrapped his free arm around her shoulder and laid his cheek on her head. He wanted to tell her she was safe and he would protect her, and that she could succumb to the sleep that was fighting to claim her. Unfortunately, she was fighting back just as hard. Harry felt her jerk up, fighting unconsciousness. He merely interwound his fingers through her hair and encourage her to keep her head on his shoulder. Once he felt her relax, he used his fingers to massage tiny circles into her scalp.

After several long minutes, he finally felt her relax fully against him. He still continued to massage her skin, glad he had gotten her to come this far and relax this much in such a short amount of time.

Paean appeared about twenty minutes later, followed by Professor McGonagall. Both women took one look at Harry and Hermione and broke out into wide smiles.

"I knew I made the right decision in calling you, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said.

"What's gonna happen?" Harry asked, "Is she going to get her sight and hearing back? Is she going to be able to go back to school?"

"It seems it was a very strong Double Sensory Charm that she was hit with," Paean explained, "There's no countercurse, but it will eventually wear off. Unfortunately, that process can take anywhere from several days to several weeks."

Harry nodded and looked down at Hermione, only to be surprised to her eyes were open, though obviously still not functional. As she blinked, a single tear ran down her cheek. He tightened his grip on her shoulder.

"As for school," McGonagall started, not seeming to have noticed these events, "I am willing to make special arrangements for her, given her exemplary student record. I have spoken to Healer Paean on this matter and we have come to the agreement that it may be best to transfer Hermione to the Hospital Wing at least a few days before start of term, to give her time to adjust to the new environment. Especially, if the Sensory Charm has yet to wear off."

Harry nodded, thinking. What they said made sense. Once again, he looked down at his best friend. It broke his heart that she wasn't able to know anything of the plans being made for her. She didn't even know they were talking of her at this very moment. She knew nothing but fear, pain, and Harry.

...

Review please!


	4. Chapter 4

I own nothing.

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Over the next few days, Hermione's sight and hearing became no better. However, thanks to gentleness and patience on everyone's part, she was being more and more cooperative with each passing day. Though the Healers were now beginning to be able to work with her on their own, it was obvious there was one person that was instrumental in these breakthroughs.

Harry spent all his time at St. Mungo's these days, relying on Sirius and Remus to bring him things like changes of clothes (the hospital allowed him to shower in Hermione's personal bathroom) and, much to his chagrin, the homework he'd been putting off all summer. Soon enough, they created a system of Hermione settled on Harry's lap with his arms around her, writing his Charms essay on a bed tray provided by the Healers.

"Knock knock?"

Harry's head snapped up at the familiar voice. He grinned as Ron Weasley's freckled face poked into the room. The Weasley's had been vacationing in Romania for the last few weeks, but McGonagall had promised to inform Ron of the events as soon as they returned home.

"How's she doing?" Ron asked, stepping into the room. It didn't escape him that Hermione had not responded at all to his entrance, "Still can't see or hear?"

"No," Harry responded, tucking a lock of Hermione's hair behind her ear to get her attention, "And she's still pretty nervous," he warned. He hated the feeling of talking about Hermione like she wasn't even there. She was currently facing up at him, wondering what was going on.

"Can't say I blame her, though," Ron said, before motioning to the edge of the bed, "Can I sit down?"

Harry nodded and placed his hand on Hermione's shoulder, rubbing his fingers across her skin soothingly. As predicted, she turned toward the sudden movement of the mattress beneath them. Her hand found the first bit of Harry it could reach – his leg – and squeezed. Ron looked incredibly uncomforted by these events.

"She doesn't know it's me…" he stated. Harry didn't respond, but merely thought about the situation for a minute.

"Hold out your hand," he said. Ron did so, watching as Harry gently coaxed Hermione to let go of his leg and let him guide her hand into their friend's.

When her fingers first touched skin that was not Harry, Hermione immediately went to pull back only to be caught by Harry and encouraged to try again. Eventually, she was holding this stranger by the hand and it finally dawned on her who it really was.

"R…Ron?" she asked. Though she still could not hear herself, her speech had improved, even if it was just one or two words at a time. Ron beamed and squeezed her hand before letting go and Harry ran a knuckle down her cheek, as that had become their sign for letting her know she was correct.

The next few hours were spent on getting Ron caught up on everything. He had pretty much the same questions Harry had at the beginning of it all and Harry was grateful to be able to be able to answer them.

"McGonagall and Paean are planning on transferring her on Saturday, to give her a full week to get used to things. We're really hoping the Sensory Charm wears off by the time classes start."

"It'll kill her to miss the first few classes," Ron teased, grinning, "Do you want any help on Saturday?"

"That might not be a bad idea, having someone else she recognizes around. I don't know how we're getting her to Hogwarts yet. Any normal mode of transport would seem terrifying to her right now."

"Yeah, I can see that," Ron agreed, but then glanced down at his watch, "Blimey, is that the time already? I have to get going. Promised Mum I'd be back for dinner. I'll try to come back soon, but I'll definitely be here on Saturday, at least. What time, d'you think?"

"Early to mid-morning, I'd say."

"All right," Ron said, and stood up. Hermione noticed the sudden shift of the bed and looked up towards him. Glancing at Harry, Ron reached down and gently ran a few fingers over her temple, hoping it was a good enough farewell, "Bye," he said to Harry, then turned and left.

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The next chapter will be longer because it's already been written! The more reviews I get, the faster it will be posted!


	5. Chapter 5

Longer chapter here! It's Spring Break and, oddly enough, I write more when I'm at school, so the next update might not be for a while.

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Saturday dawned bright and early. Ron appeared during breakfast and had to sit and wait, watching, as Harry helped Hermione eat. He had cut up her sausages and eggs and was currently spreading marmalade on a piece of toast. When that was finished, he spread a napkin over her lap and placed the fork in her hand and guided it to the plate, to show her where it was.

"So how are we getting her to Hogwarts?" Ron asked.

"Don't know yet," Harry said, "McGonagall and Paean are discussing that now, I believe."

Silence fell over them as they watched Hermione slowly but surely clear her plate with few instances of the food falling off her fork without her realizing it. Harry couldn't help but be a tad amused when the confused look crossed her face as she realized there was no food on the utensil she just stuck in her mouth.

McGonagall and Paean appeared while they were getting her cleaned up. The two women waited until the tray was to the side and all the napkins were in the trash before speaking.

"We have decided to take Hermione to Hogsmeade via Side-Along Apparation and then transport her to Hogwarts from there. This way it will be quick and give her more time to, quite frankly, get over the shock of the move," McGonagall explained, "Healer Paean has brought a change of clothes for her to wear so she doesn't have to go in a hospital gown."

"All right," Harry said, while Ron merely nodded.

Paean stepped into the room further and, from a plastic bag she was carrying, produced a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, along with panties and a bra. After she placed all of this at the edge of the bed, she hesitated, as though unsure of where to go from there. Hermione had already proven difficult in situations like bathing, which ended up with her merely being cleaned using spells. Harry sensed this and spoken up.

"I'll help her. It'll be less… of a hassle that way," he wasn't a hundred percent comfortable with the idea, but they all knew he was the one Hermione felt the most comfortable with.

The Healer nodded and left the room, followed by McGonagall and Ron. After the door had shut behind them, Harry turned his attention fully on Hermione. He merely laid the clothes on her lap, and watched as a quizzical look crossed her face. She reached down and felt them, running her fingers along the denim and cotton, and it didn't take long for her to figure out what the plan was. The sudden wariness in her body language didn't get past him, so he sat down next to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

He didn't react when she turned her head slightly away from him and pulled her legs up closer to her, protecting herself. He just kept his hand on her shoulder, rubbing his thumb soothingly across her skin. He waited patiently for any signal from her that would tell him she was ready. Just a minute later, she nodded, still turned away from him, but realizing this is something that needed to happen and getting it over with quickly was probably the best idea.

In the end, however, it took almost half an hour to dress Hermione. Harry was patient and backed off when she seemed to be getting overwhelmed. He knew that if he made her go past a certain point before she was ready, he could love everything he had worked so hard to gain over the past week.

When Hermione was finally changed into her new clothing, he helped her settle on the foot of her bed and poked his head out the door to let the others know they were finished. They all said nothing about how long it took, but merely looked at him with expressions of understanding as they re-entered the room and him and Ron sat down on either side of Hermione. They each grabbed one of her hands and, on cue from Paean, stood, pulling her up with them.

"There's a special room that allows people to Apparate and Disapparate down by the foyer. We can't have people popping in willy-nilly, after all. Once there, you two can take her by Side-Along to Hogsmeade. Professor McGonagall will meet you outside the Three Broomsticks where a carriage will also be waiting to take you to Hogwarts. So, if you would kindly follow me…"

Harry and Ron stepped forward, still grasping Hermione's hands, leading her out into the hallway and toward the lift. She followed obediently, but she was blindly glancing around, trying to make sense of what was going on. Her breathing was shallow and quick and she tried to stay as close to her best friends as she could. Her trust in them was stronger than her fear of the unknown happenings.

Once they stopped in the lift, Hermione took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself. However, when the floor below her jerked and began moving, she couldn't help the cry of surprise that escaped her. She felt Harry tighten his grip on her hand and take half a step closer to her.

Finally the lift clanged to a stop and they exited. Hermione seemed grateful to be out but Harry knew the worst was yet to come. Soon enough, they came upon the Apparation Room. McGonagall has gone ahead to procure the carriage, so that left Harry and Ron to guide each other, and Hermione, to the correct spot. They looked at each other over their friend's head and nodded before closing their eyes to concentrate.

Harry heard Hermione squeal in his ear and tightened his grip on her hand. Disapparating was unpleasant enough when you knew what was coming. He couldn't imagine what it was like for the constricting sensation to come as a surprise.

Eventually, solid ground appeared beneath them once more. Regaining his breath, Harry glanced over at Hermione. She looked pale and he vaguely wondered if she was going to throw up. However, she soon recovered even if it did take several minutes longer than usual. Even so, there was a definite hesitation in her demeanor when they started walking towards where McGonagall and a thestral-pulled carriage were waiting for them. It made Harry feel terrible for putting her through all this but he told himself that it would be better for her in the end. He just hoped he was right.

But the obstacles were not over yet and it was obvious Hermione's resolve was waning. It took them a full ten minutes to coax her into the carriage and get situated with her and Harry on one seat while Ron and McGonagall sat opposite to them. Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as her response to the sudden movement of the carriage was very similar to that of the lift back in St. Mungo's. He was eternally grateful they were almost done with this adventure.

McGonagall directed the thestral to pull the carriage right up to the oak front doors where Hagrid was waiting, presumably to care for the horse-like creature once they were done with it.

"Get on alrigh', Harry? An' Ron?" He greeted, but didn't get much of a response as the two boys were currently helping Hermione step down from the carriage. He couldn't help but wince when she misjudged the step down and fell forward, only to be caught by Harry. However, at this point, she was visibly shaking, "Jus' couldn't believe it when I heard," Hagrid said, "Terrible thing to happen. Still no sight? Or hearin'?"

"No," Ron answered as Harry was still comforting their friend. She looked practically on the verge of a mental breakdown. An uncomfortable silence fell over the group.

"We should get going," McGonagall said, "The sooner we get Miss Granger to the Hospital Wing, the sooner she can get settled."

"Righ, righ'," Hagrid interjected, "An' I should take care of ol' Tenebrus, 'ere. Come on, boy."

And with that, he let the thestral away, leaving Harry, Ron and McGonagall to lead Hermione into the castle and to the Hospital Wing. The journey to the fourth floor was uneventful compared to the rest of the trip and, soon enough, they were swinging open the doors and stepping into the infirmary, only to be greeted Madame Pomfery's usual way.

"Oh, there you are! Told me you'd be here and hour ago! Go set her down on that bed, boys. It's a surprise we don't get more of these what with Death Eaters and the like still out there. St. Mungo's is no place for such a victim. Too busy as it is. Proper care is almost never given. Has there been any change in her condition?"

"No, not really," Harry said. He had settled down on the bed behind Hermione as she pressed into him, still very wary and trying desperately to make sense of the entire situation. Pomfrey looked at her closely before making her decision.

"Well, let's give her some time to get settled in and calmed down. Trying to rush won't help matters. I'll have some food brought up from the kitchens for lunch."

Harry nodded and the Healer left. Ron had pulled up a chair up next to the bed and settled down in it. Silence fell over the three of them for several minutes before, to everyone's surprise, it was Hermione who broke it.

"Har… Harry?" she asked. He ran his fingers through her hair to let her know she had his attention, "At… Hog… Hogwarts?"

He ran a knuckle down her cheek. She seemed thoughtful for a moment before she nodded and let go of the sob she was holding back. Harry held her as she cried. It broke his heart to see her in so much pain, but he merely allowed her to let it go. The world seemed to shrink until it contained only the two of them as he listened to her cry and felt her heartbeat pressed up against his body.

...

Review please!


	6. Chapter 6

This is the result of insomnia. It's currently just after 5am when I started this. I hope you enjoy it (:

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Two days had passed since they traveled to Hogwarts and Harry had barely left Hermione's side since. No one really argued, knowing how scared she would get without his presence, even in the familiarity of the castle. Though Ron had taken to spending his nights in the Gryffindor Tower, he was also around enough to help keep the girl calm.

However, it was still rather early in the morning when Hermione woke, curled up next to Harry as usual to help chase away the nightmares. Shifting slightly as her brain rose back into consciousness, she opened her eyes and was immediately fully awake. Sitting up, slowly, unintentionally rousing Harry in the process, she blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't actually dreaming and she really was able to see where she was. It wasn't much, given the bed they were in had a curtain drawn around it, but, after a week of being blind, it was amazing to her.

Harry, who had to reach for his glasses before he could fully realize what was going on, groaned quietly as he sat up. It was still a bit early for him, but, once he saw Hermione gazing around, he was awake and grinning.

"You can see, can't you?" he asked tentatively, wondering if her hearing had come back as well. However, when she gave no response to him, he knew that only her sight had been restored for now. Still, at least it was a bit of improvement.

Gently, he placed his hand on her shoulder to get her attention. She turned to him and smiled the first genuine smile he had seen on her face in what felt like forever. Though there was still a lot of pain in her eyes, he knew she was happy about this just as much as, if not more than, he was.

After a minute, the rustling of the curtain got their attention as Madame Pomfrey pulled it back to reveal herself, smiling widely when she noticed both sets of eyes were able to look over at her.

"I see your sight has returned, Miss Granger! That's excellent news!" she said, pausing for a moment to see if she would get any sort of response. When all she got was a weak, slightly confused smile, she continued, "Still no hearing?"

"No," Harry answered, since Hermione obviously couldn't, "but we're at least getting some improvement, right?"

"Yes, we are," Pomfrey said, lighting her wand and going to look at Hermione's eyes. Unfortunately, since there was no communication to Hermione as to what the matron was doing, as soon as the bright light appeared in her eyes, she flinched away from it and shut her eyes tight, wanting it to go away. She wasn't able to tell anyone, but it made her mind immediately have a flashback to the night this all started, with the bright, white light of the Sensory Charm she was hit with. It wasn't until that moment she realized it was the last thing she saw before this morning.

It took her a few seconds to realize Harry's hand was on her back, rubbing it consolingly and a few more to finally open her eyes again. At first, she thought she was getting shined in the eyes again when she was met with brightness, but she soon realized that Madame Pomfrey had only opened the curtains around the bed, so the sunlight was shining in the big windows on the other side of the room.

The incident had gone unspoken between Harry and Madame Pomfrey as they were both very much reminded of the deeper scars Hermione sustained in that attack, and how one could not simply make them vanish with the wave of a wand. Still, to try and cheer the girl up, the matron left for a moment, coming back to present her with something she hasn't had in a while; a means to communicate. Even through the lingering fear, Hermione couldn't help but smile a bit when she was presented with a quill and parchment.

She picked up the quill and dipped it into the ink with gusto, but, when it came to actually writing something down, she stopped. She had no idea what to write. After a moment of her just staring at the blank sheet before her, she felt Harry gently pry the quill from his hand to write his own simple sentence:

_How are you feeling?_

She glanced up at him while he handed her the quill back, but hesitated when it came to actually writing an answer. However, because it was Harry, she actually went with the truth.

_I… don't know_

She was conflicted for sure, with everything that had gone on and Harry didn't blame her. She had suffered many major blows, and hadn't had any way of dealing with any of it in the last week. Again, he gently pried the feather from her hand, only to lay it down on the parchment and wrap her in his arms. Because she couldn't hear his voice, he didn't bother speaking. He used his body and his presence to tell her that, no matter how hard things get, he'll be there for her, and that's one thing she can always count on.

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8:30pm when I finished it. Yes, it took me all day to write a page and a half. I apologize for it being so short, but, hopefully, this will have broken my writer's block a bit and I'll get more chapters up soon. For now, just be grateful there was an update at all.


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